Travels in Xinjiang: When we arrive in Kashgar, southern Xinjiang, this "Sunday Grand Bazaar" is going to get a card.

The place I want to talk about today is a very important stop on my trip to Kashgar, Xinjiang. During my trip to Kashgar, this is the place I will go every weekend, and I strongly recommend it to every little friend who travels to Kashgar.

Its full name is "Kashgar Central and Western Asia International Trade Market", but locals generally call it "Grand Bazaar".

Bazaar

"Bazaar" means "bazaar" in Uygur language, where everything that Kashgar people need in their daily life is sold: pots and pans, oil, salt, vinegar, clothing, handicrafts, cosmetics, snacks, ethnic musical instruments ...

Kashgar Bazaar is not only retail, but also wholesale. Many friends who live in Kashgar are here to purchase Xinjiang specialties, jujubes, walnuts and raisins, and then send them to relatives and friends in the mainland by express mail.

There are many Bazaars in Kashgar, but only this place is called Grand Bazaar. In Kashgar, when it comes to "Grand Bazaar", it refers to the international trade market of central and western Asia in Kashgar.

Don't underestimate the word "international". There are five ports in Kashgar, and there are eight neighboring countries around it. The merchants here send countless orders abroad every year, and imported goods are also gathered.

Today, I will take you to see what I feel about the Grand Bazaar in Kashgar. In fact, not only all kinds of goods are sold here, but also the humanities and customs of Kashgar are sold (unintentionally).

Sunday Grand Bazaar

Kashgar Grand Bazaar is the oldest bazaar in this city. It is said that it existed when Kashgar was built, and it has a history of more than 2, years. At present, it covers an area of 16, square meters, and it takes most of the time to go shopping.

On the periphery of the Grand Bazaar are open merchants, with many small restaurants selling Kashgar specialties. Then there are several clothing stores, selling colorful dresses of Uighurs.

It is said that this place was once the "largest market in Asia" on the Silk Road, and there was a Tuman River in front of it, and the river never stopped.

If you travel to Kashgar, I suggest you visit the Grand Bazaar on weekends. In the past years, this Grand Bazaar was only open to the public on Sundays, so it is also called "Sunday Grand Bazaar".

Of course, there is no longer the name of "Grand Bazaar on Sunday", but this sense of ceremony remains in the hearts of Kashgar people for a long time. Every Sunday, children will pester adults to take themselves to visit Grand Bazaar.

Today, the Grand Bazaar in Kashgar has evolved into a "all-year-round" trade market, but it is still the busiest on Sundays, with the most concentrated merchants, vendors and commodities.

Southern Xinjiang

Every Sunday, women will put Adelaide silk on their bodies, wrap bright shawls on their heads, dress up beautifully and go shopping-such a scene is less and less common in other cities in Xinjiang except Kashgar in southern Xinjiang.

Kashgar is located in the southwest of Xinjiang, and we usually call it South Xinjiang. The handicrafts in Kashgar Grand Bazaar have strong characteristics of South Xinjiang. They are mainly made by hand, and people don't seem to like things processed by machines.

Women who set up stalls will bring out their hand-sewn fabric ornaments and sell them. They can be used as cushions, table surrounds, and all the places where home soft clothes can be used.

The owner of the flower shop is a little old, but he wears clean and decent clothes.

On the trip, the owner of every flower shop I met was the one who loved life the most around them. Their expressions were calm and contented, and their faces were glowing with bright light.

the same is true in Kashgar. Selling flowers is not the most profitable occupation, but the people who sell flowers are different.

Do you still remember the earthenware pot made of Kashgar's "non-legacy" skills that I mentioned in my previous travel notes?

In the past years, people in Kashgar used this kind of pottery jar for food, water and storage. Now, this kind of pottery jar is not often used, and it has become a "family heirloom". I saw vendors in the market use it to hold money and bills.

The cut cakes sold in Kashgar Grand Bazaar are not expensive. This small piece is 5 yuan.

On the Grand Bazaar in Kashgar, you can often see something nostalgic. For example, this kind of earth soap, which my mother used to wash clothes when I was a child, has not been seen for many years.

Habit

In front of the shop selling large electrical appliances, several Kashgar people gathered to watch the movies on TV.

Some of them wear Uygur national costumes, others wear casual clothes, and the children like to wear some "famous brands", with the big "A" brand logo or "N" brand logo printed on their jerseys-even though these "brand goods" are imitations.

In the ever-changing historical changes in Kashgar, people's preferences are gradually undergoing subtle changes.

But women in Kashgar always like gorgeous long skirts, so you can buy all kinds of skirts in Kashgar. In the picture below, the owner of this women's clothing store went out temporarily, so he made a simple "door" with his own skirt. Isn't it interesting?

Kashgar is a very interesting place, and people always have their own way. The most important reason why this city can inherit thousands of years of history and people's lives are relatively stable and healthy is that everything here can be produced and sold.

For example, vegetables sold in the Grand Bazaar in Kashgar are all grown by local farmers themselves. Eggplant is a kind of slender eggplant, which is not very beautiful, but delicious. Beans are also casually grabbed, bundled and put on the stall for sale.

For example, almost all kinds of fast-moving consumer goods sold on the Grand Bazaar in Kashgar have local brands. The brand is not a big brand either. The local manufacturers are simple to manufacture, and the price is relatively cheap, but the sales volume is very good. Kashgar people have long been used to it.

When people meet each other in the market, they will say hello and talk to each other. When you travel in Kashgar, you will feel that the world is very small. After a long time in Kashgar, you will gradually be "assimilated" by these simple and easy-to-use habits.

I'm Sister Dahong, the anchor of audio radio travel channel, a professional travel player, focusing on minority play and sharing unpopular destinations. Travel is not an attitude, but life itself.